kale

kale chips

Photo by bee wolf ray and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Description

Kale is a hearty, leafy, and somewhat bitter-tasting green that ranges in color (purple to green) and texture (curly to flat). It's used in soups, salads, sautes, and smoothies. And it's incredibly nutritious, particularly when raw, steamed, or lightly cooked.

While kale can be eaten raw or cooked, the stem and leaf spine is very tough and almost always removed, either discarded or finely sliced and cooked separately.

Kale is a headless member of the cabbage family (meaning its central leaves do no form a head), and its relatives include broccoli, collard greens, brussel sprouts, and kai-lan.

Also Known As

borecole

Nutritional Info

Kale is notably high in fiber, minerals, and vitamins A, C, and K, as well as calcium and flavonoids with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. According to Wikipedia, indole-3-carbinol and sulforaphane give it anti-cancer properties (although boiling may significantly reduce its potency), while bile acid sequestrants in it have been shown to lower cholesterol, even more so when steamed.

Kale is good stuff, although according to WebMD it also contains oxalates, which inhibit calcium absorption. Avoid pairing kale with dairy and other calcium-rich foods.